One of the great joys of travelling is that, every once in a while, I come across something so unexpectedly amazing, that it takes my breath away and I am left to marvel at what I have seen.
While some of the things that have caused this effect in me are things you may expect to do so (I won't give them away right away - I will need them for blog posts in the future), the latest entry in this list was most unexpected.
It was the new airport in Hyderabad.
That's right, I was stunned by the beauty of an airport. And, mind you, is coming from someone who has taken flights to and from the likes of Singapore's Changi, London's Heathrow (not Terminal 5, however) and Amsterdam's Schipol (which actually has a small annex containing paintings on loan from the Rijksmuseum).
What's so special about Rajiv Gandhi International Airport? Well, it is an absolutely top-notch airport...in India. India is known for a lot of fine things, but great airports aren't on that list. Mumbai's airport is a depressing and decaying place. And I've been in sports stadiums bigger than Chennai's airport.
Hyderabad, on the other hand, is fantastic. The terminal is bright, clean and comfortable bordering on the luxurious. The landscaping outside the airport is so imaginative, that if I lived in Hyderabad, I'd go there on a picnic. I'm not kidding.
It isn't perfect, though. The food choice is pretty limited compared to other world-class airports, though the gelato shop had an excellent flavour called "Blue Sky"...and there isn't a McDonald's!
The late Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi, is so fortunate to have such a splendid structure named after him.
While some of the things that have caused this effect in me are things you may expect to do so (I won't give them away right away - I will need them for blog posts in the future), the latest entry in this list was most unexpected.
It was the new airport in Hyderabad.
That's right, I was stunned by the beauty of an airport. And, mind you, is coming from someone who has taken flights to and from the likes of Singapore's Changi, London's Heathrow (not Terminal 5, however) and Amsterdam's Schipol (which actually has a small annex containing paintings on loan from the Rijksmuseum).
What's so special about Rajiv Gandhi International Airport? Well, it is an absolutely top-notch airport...in India. India is known for a lot of fine things, but great airports aren't on that list. Mumbai's airport is a depressing and decaying place. And I've been in sports stadiums bigger than Chennai's airport.
Hyderabad, on the other hand, is fantastic. The terminal is bright, clean and comfortable bordering on the luxurious. The landscaping outside the airport is so imaginative, that if I lived in Hyderabad, I'd go there on a picnic. I'm not kidding.
It isn't perfect, though. The food choice is pretty limited compared to other world-class airports, though the gelato shop had an excellent flavour called "Blue Sky"...and there isn't a McDonald's!
The late Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi, is so fortunate to have such a splendid structure named after him.
2 Comments:
I would have never thought an airport could be so wonderful. So, you'd have a picnic there, eh?
The airport named after me (or that I like to pretend was named after me) is fantastic. I never thought rocking chairs in an airport would be so soothing but the Charlotte, NC airport is FANTASTIC. I'll take a layover there anytime.
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